Weisco Crank question....

[Davo]

After reading a good bit. I was wondering what is the actual issues everyone has with Weisco Crank Shafts. If installed correctly and taken care of, whats the issue?

I live is Des Moines and know the rep and shops that deal directly with Hot Rods. The owners wife is Asian and her family owns the factory in Japan that makes them. That's how Hot Rods was started. In my hand is completely decimated Hot Rods crank pulled out of a Craigslist dead Blasty. Needle bearings shot, rod play up and down, total death. I'm sure from poor installation, air leak, but dead non the different.

Just a legit Question.

 

[pudvah]

There's a video somewhere of a guy that takes a brand new wiesco crank and shows how right out of the box it's way out of wack. I will try and find it cause he explains it good

 

[Davo]

You "True" the crank before installation. You should do that with any crank.
Need more hard facts than being out of true from factory.

My neighbor has a Truing Jig and caliper.

Also its for trail use only. No racing.

 

[pudvah]

 

[bansheedave]

You should not have to true a brand new crankshaft. How many people on here has any kind of tools available to true a crankshaft. It would be completely stupid to pay good money for a crank only to send it out to a shop, pay the shipping both ways pay the shop to true it and hope it stays true on the trip back. Total waste of money. Wiseco cranks are made with sub grade steel and sub grade bearings. I have seen them snap in two. More times than not, the bearings fail shortly after they have been ran. I've seen the connecting rods snap. In my case, the lower bearing blew apart and took out my complete topend. I refuse to buy any machine that someone has installed a wiseco crankshaft. If I do, the motor will be torn apart, crank pulled and thrown away weather completely new or slightly used.

 

[Herpderplol]

Ken confirmed that they are made in their shop in ohio right? not taiwan?

 

[pudvah]

No the pistons are. The cranks say made in Taiwan on the box. Makes no sense if you as me. Why would they outsource cranks but not Pistons.

 

[Blaaster]

I possibly costs a lot more in labour to assemble a crank than to machine a piston.

 

[Davo]

Interesting. Wonder if they sell any at all. According to "Bansheedave" they will all fail after install. Its a wonder they don't have a law suite against them. Fancy they sell them with such a high fail rate. hmmmm

Whell sorry my neighbor has a truing jig. His son raced Team Green and runs a tech shop in his garage. Is also a Hot Rods rep and trues every one of them. Also has a very high success rate.

I'm just trying to pull the shroud off this subject. How a company can make a "go to" piston but fails miserably on a crank.

 

[pudvah]

I'm gonna guess because that go to piston is made in the good ol US of A with strict standards and the crank is made in Taiwan. You luckily can have it trued and make it work but for the backyard mechanic there pretty much screwed. I mean even Ken O'Conner said he refuses to put one in a engine but drops the Pistons in all day long.

It is confusing as why a company with good repatation would allow one of their products be poop but if they sell why change anything.

 

[joeak47]

They're pistons aren't that good.

 

[Davo]

Weisco pistons in both my Blasters. One on 3rd Season and running strong. One in daughters on 1st season and holding strong.
They get out once or twice a month for day long quad park trips. Quads will upgrade by next spring. 3rd Blaster is being built.

But Pudvah - you nailed it on the head. Thanks

 

[Herpderplol]

They're pistons aren't that good.

many people run them without a problem, and recommend them when someone is rebuilding

now, why are you still against wiseco and have to voice it every time you see anything about a piston?

 

[OConnor Racing]

It's all about money kids. Wiseco has been set up in the USA to make pistons for years. Not so with the crankshafts. I'm sure it's less expensive ( more profitable ) to have them produced overseas. If they get a failure rate of one in five, It's not an issue because they're still making money. You have to love corporate America. Here's the problems I've seen with the crankshafts. They're produced with a very hard forging and lack the elasticity they need to survive. Your piston is moving at 130 MPH, coming to a dead stop, moving in the opposite direction at the same speed, and doing it over and over ( 14200 times per minute on a stock engine if you count both stops per revolution). The rod needs to have the ability to stretch and compress under those conditions. Another problem is the ends of the crankshafts break off. I'm not sure why but poor quality forgings would be my best guess. Lots of riders and shops use the cranks. I can't afford to chance a problem with an engine by installing cheap parts so I don't use them.

 

[pudvah]

Trump/KOR 2016

 

[speedyslyder]

Trump/KOR 2016

thanks pudvah i needed a laugh today